Apparatus for separating and stacking blanks

ABSTRACT

In an apparatus for separating and stacking blanks, a separating conveyor having a plurality of diverging belt conveyor separates the blanks laterally, and the separating conveyor is operated at a speed slightly greater than the speed at which sheets are furnished to separate the blanks longitudinally. A stacking unit has a plurality of divertor gates for diverting individual separated blanks downwardly into a plurality of accumulating compartments, the accumulations being periodically added to the top of a plurality of stacks, one for each divertor unit. A second conveyor intermittently feeds stacking sheets of sufficient size to cover the stacks of blanks, so that the individual stacks are stabilized in position.

United States Patent [1 1 Meylan [75] Inventor: Geroges Meylan, Preverenges, Switzerland [73] Assignee: J. Bobst & Fils SA.

[22] Filed: Mar. 2, 1973 {21] Appl. No.: 337,656

{30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 17. 1972 Switzerland 3345/72 [52] US. Cl. 225/100, 271/64 [51] Int. Cl B261 3/00 [58] Field of Search 225/4, 100; 83/105, 156;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,278.518 4/1942 Kenney ct a1 271/64 3.384.523 5/1968 Bender 225/100 UX 3.497.120 2/1970 Kischer 225/100 X 1 Mar. 11, 1975 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant E.raminerLeon Gilden Attorney/igent, or Firm-Hill, Gross, Simpson. Van Santen, Steadman, Chiara & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT In an apparatus for separating and stacking blanks. a

separating conveyor having a plurality of diverging belt conveyor separates the blanks laterally, and the separating conveyor is operated at a speed slightly greater than the speed at which sheets are furnished to separate the blanks longitudinally. A stacking unit has a plurality of divertor gates for diverting individual separated blanks downwardly into a plurality of accumulating compartments, the accumulations being periodically added to the top of a plurality of stacks, one for each divertor unit. A second conveyor intermittently feeds stacking sheets of sufficient size to cover the stacks of blanks, so that the individual stacks are stabilized in position.

11 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTEBHARI 1 I975 SHEET U1UF1O PATENTED 1 1 I975 SHEET CZJF 1O PATENTED 1 I975 SHEET DBUF 10 cm mm om mm PATENTEWRI 119-75 I 3.870.213

SHEET UMJF 1O Pi-XTENTED 1 I975 SHEET U6UF1O PATENTED NARI 1 5 SHEET Fig. 70

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND STACKING BLANKS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for separating and stacking box blanks or the like, and more particularly to such a device which is adapted to separate and receive a plurality of interconnected box blanks produced by a platen press.

2. Prior Art Platen presses which have been used in the past to produce box blanks have been of two general types. The first type uses individual sheets for each of the box blanks to be produced, and the output of platen presses of this type consists of individual box blanks which may conveniently be formed into a stack. The second type of press employs sheets to produce a plurality of box blanks simultaneously. The press processes the sheet to remove the scraps and the pinch-out material, and the output of the press consists of sheets formed of a plurality of interconnected box blanks, which are free from scraps and pinch-off material. These sheets may be stacked individually, but it is thereafter necessary to separate the individual box blanks before they can be arranged in individual stacks for later usage.

While the first type of machine is adapted to produce a single stack of individual box blanks, it is relatively slow in terms of its output per unit time. The second type of machine has a faster output, but the manual intervention required to individually separate the various box blanks is a drawback which detracts from its efficiency. It is desirable if possible to provide an arrangement which achieves the efficiency of a multiple blank machine without requiring manual intervention for separating and stacking individual blanks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for separating and stacking individual box blanks formed from a sheet consisting ofa plurality of interconnected box blanks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for separating and stacking box blanks in which no manual intervention is required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing a plurality of individual stacks of box blanks, with means for maintaining the plurality of stacks in fixed position relative to each other.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become manifest upon an examination of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In one embodiment of the present invention there is provided an apparatus having a station for receiving sheets made up of a plurality of interconnected box blanks, a station interconnected with the receiving station for performing longitudinal and transverse separation of the individual blanks, and a stacking station adapted to simultaneously form a number of stacks equal to the number of interconnected blanks in said sheets, by simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a conveyor into a plurality of stacks. A stacking sheet, having a size sufficient to cover all of the stacks of blanks is periodically interpolated between corresponding pairs of blanks in each of the several stacks,

thereby ensuring correct positioning of said stacks in relation to each other.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view ofa sheet made up of a plurality of interconnected box blanks;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of apparatus constructed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

. FIG. 2a is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2, with portions thereof omitted to show certain details of operation;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of a different arrangement of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of apparatus for intermittently conveying stacking sheets;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus in FIG. 5, taken in the planes VI-VI;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the sheet feeding mechanism in one position of operation;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 7 in another position of operation;

FIG. 9 is a detailed side elevation of the portion of the stacking mechanism employed in the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10 and 10a are side elevations, partly in crosssection of means for diverting box blanks from a conveyor into a stack, illustrating two different modes of operation;

FIG. 11 is an end view, partly in cross-section illustrating details of a presser element employed with the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a plan view ofa gate employed with the apparatus of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a plan view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2a.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a sheet made up of a plurality of interconnected box blanks 4 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The sheet includes, in addition to the blanks 4, other portions which may be identified as a pinch-out portion 2 and scraps 3 and 3'. The blanks 4 are interconnected by points of attachment 5 so that even after the pinch-out material 2 and the scraps 3 and 3' are removed, the sheet maintains its integrity in the form of a plurality ofinterconnected box blanks 4. As the sheet is fed from the press, it is advanced in the direction of the arrow 6.

FIGS. 2 and 2a show in diagrammatic form a device constructed in accordance with the present invention. The platen press 7, which is shown in part, produces the blanks 4, in interconnected sheet form, at its output, and these sheets are conveyed out of the press on a horizontal conveyor belt 10. A motor 11 drives the conveyor belt 10, which is mounted on rollers 12, to convey the sheets leftwardly as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 2a. When the sheet arrives at the end of the conveyor belt 10, it enters a nip between a roller 12 and a presser element 13 which is pressed downwardly on the roller 12 so as to maintain the sheet in firm engagement with the upper surface of the conveyor 10.

A separator unit 14 is disposed in position adjacent the end of the conveyor and comprises a plurality of lower conveyor belts 15, each supported on a plurality of rollers which are mounted (by means not shown) on transverse beams 16, 17 and 18. The belts 15 may be shifted laterally with respect to the beams 16, 17 and 18 and locked in place where desired. Preferably there is an individual belt 15 for each lateral row of interconnected blanks 4. The belts 15 are driven by a motor 19 through a shaft 20, about which the belts 15 pass. The shaft 20 extends the whole width of the separator unit 14 so that all of the belts 15 are driven at the same speed.

A plurality of upper conveyor belts 21 are mounted above the lower conveyor belts 15, one upper conveyor belt 21 being provided for each of the lower conveyor belts 15. The belts 21 are supported by rollers which in turn are supported by transverse beams 22 and 23. They may be adjusted transversely on the beams 22 and 23 and locked in position by means of clamps 24. The upper conveyor belts 21 are driven by the lower conveyor belts 15, and the sheets of box blanks, interposed therebetween.

The lineal speed of the belts 15, driven by the motor 19, is higher than the lineal speed of the conveyor belt 10, so that the blanks are separated longitudinally each time the connection between two longitudinally connected blanks reaches the space between the pressing device 13, which maintains the rear blank moving at the speed of the conveyor 10, and the nip of the rollers about which the belts 15 and 21 are mounted, which moves the forward blanks more rapidly. When a connection point reaches this space, it is broken, and the blanks are separated by a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction.

The blanks are simultaneously separated in a transverse direction by virtue of the belts l5 and 21 being arranged generally in a fan-shape (FIG. 13) so that the belts diverge and the width of the assembly at the downstream end of the conveyor belts is greater than that at the upstream end. The angle of separation of adjacent belts 15 is quite slight, but is sufficient to separate individual box blanks by a predetermined distance by the time the blanks have reached the downstream end of the separator unit 14.

A horizontal conveyor belt 25 is arranged at the downstream end of the separator unit 14, supported by a plurality of rollers, so that the separated blanks are conveyed individually by the belt 25 leftwardly as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 2a. The conveyor belt 25 runs at the same speed as the belts 15, so that the blanks are maintained in the separated condition in which they leave the downstream end of the separator unit 14. The conveyor belt 25 conveys the blanks into a stacking unit 26, where the blanks are formed into a plurality of individual stacks. A plurality of idler wheels or pressure units 27 urge the blanks into close association with the belt 25 so that the blanks do not slip on the belt 25 but move into the stack unit 26 at the lineal speed of movement of the belt 25. A plurality of photocells 28 are disposed above the blanks as they are supported on the conveyor belt 25, to detect proper alignment of the blanks, and to activate the stacker mechanism at the appropriate time. A separate photocell is provided for each stream of blanks moving into the stacker unit 26.

The details of the stacker unit 26 are illustrated in FIG. 3, for a condition in which five groups of stacks are formed, corresponding to a sheet having five longitudinally connected blanks. The number of stacks in each group of stacks depends upon the number of blanks which are interconnected laterally across the width of the sheet, (i.e., the number of streams).

A divertor unit is provided for each of the stacks, each of the divertor units having a double pair of rollers. The first pair of rollers includes an upper roller 29 and a lower roller 30, and the second pair includes a lower roller 62 and an upper roller 31. As illustrated in FIG. 3, all of these rollers are mounted in aligned relationship, so that blanks may pass successively through all of the roller pairs in a single plane. Normally, this does not occur, as explained in more detail hereinafter. An additional upper roller 29 and lower roller 30 are provided at the entrance of the stacker unit 26 to accept blanks which arrive on the conveyor 25.

Under certain circumstances, blanks can pass through all of the rollers pairs and all of the divertor stations, and when they do so they are received in a bin 33. This occurs when blanks are received at the stacking unit in non-aligned fashion. In this event they pass completely through the stacking unit 26 and are received in the bin 33, so that they do not interfere with proper operation of the stack unit 26. If the blanks are correctly oriented when they are received in the stacking unit 26, however, as determined by appropriate operation of the photocells 28, divertor gates at each divertor unit are triggered simultaneously so that each of the five blanks is simultaneously diverted into an accumulation chamber 32, where a plurality of blanks are periodically accumulated before being added to the stacks of blanks which are supported below them.

The plurality of stacks are supported on an elevator beam 34 which is connected with an elevator mechanism so that the beam 34 is progressively lowered as the heighth of the stacks increases. In this manner the heighth of the stacks is always approximately the same distance below the accumulator chambers 32. Periodically, a stacking sheet 37 is interposed between corresponding pairs of blanks in each of the stacks, so that each sheet 37 extends over all of the stacks supported on the stacking plate 35a carried by the cross beams 32. In this manner all of the stacks are maintained in appropriate position relative to each other and do not lean into each other or otherwise become disoriented.

Each of the accumulator chambers 32 has a selectively openable gate member 57 at the bottom thereof, which maintains the blanks in stacked condition within the accumulator chamber 32 until the associated gate unit 57 is opened. When the gate unit 57 is opened, the, small stack formed in the accumulator chamber 32 is added to the top of its associated stack supported on the stacking plate 32a, and the elevator beam 34 moves up and down in synchronism with this operation. A conveyor 36 is provided for intermittently interposing the sheets 37 when they are required.

FIG. 4 shows a different arrangement of the apparatus of FIG. 2 in which the sheets have only two longitudinally connected blanks. Accordingly, only two groups of stacks are formed on the stacking plate 350 and only two groups of divertor units and two groups of accumulator chambers are necessary. In order to accommodate a variety of arrangements, the divertor units and their associated accumulator chambers 32 are adjustable on a carriage or the like in two transverse horizontal directions. Each of the divertor units may be shifted back and forth in the direction which the blanks are conveyed, and they may also be shifted laterally so that they are each aligned with a separate stream of blanks which, before the separator unit 14, had previously been longitudinally interconnected. Such carriage apparatus is well known to those skilled in the art and therefore need not be specifically de scribed. It is apparent from FIG. 4 that several of the divertor units, which are not required for the operation when the device is set up as illustrated in FIG. 4, have been shifted leftwardly and are no longer in a position to deflect blanks into stacks.

The conveyor 36, which is adapted to intermittently convey the stacking sheets 37 into a position overlying the several stacks, is best illustrated in FIGS. 5-8. A gear 38 engages the teeth 39 of the rack 40, so that the rack 40 is moved in a horizontal direction in response to rotation of the gear 38. Two racks 40 are provided, at opposite sides of the conveyor 36, and a belt 41 is supported between the racks 40, mounted on rollers which are connected between the two racks 40. The belt 41 is driven by the roller 42 which is also interconnected between the racks 40. The manner of its construction is illustrated in FIG. 6. The roller 42 is connected for rotation with a free wheeling coupler 45 and is supported by a shaft 47. The coupler 45 is adapted to rotate freely on the shaft 47 in one direction, but turns with the shaft 47 in the other direction. The shaft 47 extends through one of the racks 40 and has a gear 46 mounted thereon which is in engagement with the teeth provided at the lower surface of a rack 48, fixed to the frame of the machine by means not shown. When the rack 40 is moved in the direction of the arrow 44 (in FIG. 5), the gear 46 rotates in a clockwise direction, and this motion is transmitted by the free weheeling coupler 45 to the roller 42 so that it also rotates in a clockwise direction. However, when the rack 40 moves in the opposite direction (rightwardly) the free wheeling coupling 45 does not transmit the motion of the gear 46 to the roller 42, so that the roller 42 maintains a stationary position.

A stack 80 of sheets 37 is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, in relation to the racks 40. It can be seen that the stack 80 is located below the racks 40, and beneath the belt 41. During operation of the conveyor 36 one of the sheets 37 is withdrawn from the stack 80 and placed on the upper surface of the belt 41, after which the belt 41 is moved into the area beneath the gate units 57 above the stacks. Thereafter as the racks 40 are withdrawn from the area above the stacks, moving leftwardly as illustrated in the drawings, the roller 42 moves the belt 41 to convey the sheet 37 rightwardly relative to the belt 41 so that the sheet 37 falls into position overlying the stacks as the racks 40 are withdrawn.

One of the racks 40 has a cam surface 49 attached to its rear end, and this cooperates with a roller 52 on which a beam 51 is supported. A suction member 50 is in turn supported on the beam 51 at a laterally adjustable position. As the cam 40 moves rightwardly (as illustrated in FIG. 8) the roller 52 follows the cam 49 downwardly to lower the suction member 50 into contact with the right hand end margin of the uppermost sheet 37.

As the rack 40 returns in its leftward direction, the

a suction member 50 lifts the topmost sheet to a position above the belt 41, and the remainder of the sheet is raised to the upper surface of the belt 41 as the rack 40 returns to the position'illustrated in FIG. 7. At that point the suction supplied to the suction member 50 is deactuated by means of a limit switch or the like (not shown), so that the sheet 37 is supported only by the belt 41. It is then in posit-ion to be carried into the space above the stacks and dumped there by operation of they conveyor as already described.

The construction of the several divertor gates and accumulator chambers is illustrated in detail in FIG. 9. In addition detailed views are illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 10a showing two positions of the divertor gates and the effect each position has on the path of a blank. One of the lower rollers 30 and 62 is driven, by means of a gear connection to the machine drive (not shown), and the other is driven in synchronism therewith by means of a belt which surrounds shafts on which the rollers 30 and 62 are supported. Accordingly, a blank is driven leftwardly by means of the lower rollers as it enters the nip between the rollers 29 and 30 and also as it enters the nip between the rollers 31 and 62. The position of the roller 31 is adjustable, which has an influence on the path of the blank.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the roller 31 engages the upper portion of the roller 62 and the blank passes in a horizontal path over the top surface of a divertor guide 64. When the roller 31 has been rotated about an axis P, however, as shown in FIG. 10a, the roller 31 then engages a different portion of the roller 32, with the result that the blank is forced downwardly adjacent the lower surface of the divertor guide 64. The roller 31 is mounted for rotation on a shaft which is held in position by a yoke 80, having an upwardly extending shaft 81. A nut 82 is threadably mounted in the shaft 81, and a spring 67 surrounds the shaft 81 between the nut 82 and a sleeve 68, which is threadably engaged with a bracket 83 mounted to a frame 66. The sleeve 68 is shiftable on the shaft 81, so the shaft 81 is free to carry the roller downwardly, under the urging of the spring 67. Adjustment of the positions of the two nuts 68 and 82 thus influences the force with which the roller 31 moves downwardly against the roller 62. By adjustment of the upper sleeve 68, the position of the roller 31 may be adjusted. The entire assembly pivots about a pivot axis P.

The bracket 66 is rotated in response to a pneumatic cylinder 63 shown in diagrammatic form in FIGS. 10 and 10a, and the actuating arm 65, which is connected to a piston slidably mounted within the cylinder 63, is coupled to the bracket 66 for rotating it about the axis P. When the cylinder 63 is energized, the apparatus takes the position illustrated in FIG. 10a, in which the bracket 66, along with the roller 31, has been rotated about the axis P to divert a blank downwardly.

A corresponding mechanism for mounting the roller 29 is also provided, except that the sleeve 83 is secured to a fixed bracket 69, which is secured to a frame which adjustably supports the entire divertor unit.

The operation of the pneumatic cylinder 63 is controlled in response to the signals derived from the photo cells 28. Preferably, a separate photo cell is provided for each of the blanks which are aligned transversely, (i.e., one for each stream of blanks), and which blanks accordingly enter the stacking unit 26 simultaneously. If the blanks are correctly aligned each of the blanks causes its respective photo cell to produce an output signal simultaneously, and when this occurs, the cylinders 63 of all the divertor units are operated simultaneously, when all of the blanks are in position to be diverted to their respective stacks. If the photo cells produce their signals at different times, which is indicative of an unwanted arrangement of the blanks as they arrive at the input of the stacking unit 26, operation of the cylinders 63 is inhibited and the blanks'are instead conveyed to the reject bin 33.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, an accumulator unit 32 is provided between each successive pair of divertor units. The accumulator chambers 32 are each defined by a pair of side walls 53 which are preferably adjustable in their lateral position, as are the divertor units, so that the space within each of the accumulator chambers 32 is just sufficient to receive a separated blank. The forward and rearward sides of each accumulator chamber 32 are defined by vertical walls 54 and 55.

The selectively operable gate mechanism 57 is disposed at the bottom of each of the accumulator chambers 32 and functions to accumulate box blanks within the accumulator chambers. A photo cell 78 is mounted on a bracket 79 within the accumulator chamber, and is sensitive to the heighth of a pile or accumulation of blanks within the chamber 32. When the pile reaches the level of the photo cell 78, the gate units 57 are activated to permit the accumulation of blanks to be released to the top of a stack supported directly below such accumulation on the stacking plate.

A plan view of a gate unit 57 is illustrated in FIG. 12. The gate unit comprises a plurality of fingers 58 which are mounted for rotation about fixed shafts 59. One end of each of the fingers 58 is pivoted to an actuating slide 60, which is connected to one end of a bell crank 61. The other end of the slide 60 is pivoted to a member 62 which is pivoted about a fixed shaft 63. The bell crank 61 is controlled by cam means (not shown) to oscillate back and forth between the position illustrated in full line, and the one shown in dashed line in FIG. 12. When the bell crank 61 occupies the dashed line position, the fingers 58 are extended as shown to maintain blanks in position within the accumulator chambers. When the bell crank 61 is returned to its full line position, the fingers 58 assume a retracted position as shown in full line in FIG. 12, thereby freeing the accumulated blanks.

A presser unit 13 is illustrated in FIG. 11. It employs a roller 71 mounted for rotation on a shaft supported by a yoke 73 having an upwardly extending shaft 75. A spring 74 urges the yoke 73 downwardly relative to a sleeve 76 threadably mounted in a bracket 77 fixed to the frame of the machine. A blank 72 is illustrated between the roller 12 and the roller 72.

The elevator beam 34 (FIG. 3) is operated in response to the opening of the gate units 57 to lower the stacks so that the level of the upper ends of the stacks supported on the stacking plate 35a below the level of the conveyor 36. Then the conveyor 36 is operated, to place a sheet 37 over the stacks, and the conveyor 36 is withdrawn. Then the elevator beam 34 is again operated to raise the stacking plate so that the tops of the several stacks rise to the proximity of the gate units 57. Accordingly, when the gate units 57 are opened, the accumulation of blanks is not required to fall far to reach the tops of the stacks, thus helping to ensure con-.

tinued alignment of the stacks. The apparatus for raising and lowering the elevator beam 34, in response to the return of the conveyor 36 to its home position, and in response to a signal generated by 'the photo cell 78, respectively, is not critical, and may easily be provided by one skilled in the art.

As the number of blanks added to the stacks at each operation of the gate units 57 is dependent on the level of the photo cell 78, the same distance separates each of the stacking sheets 37, and the elevator beam 34 is lowered the same distance each cycle, and then raised the same lesser distance each cycle. When the stacks are fully developed, the elevator beam 34 is lowered manually its full extent to permit removal of the stacks from the stacking plate.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that the apparatus of the present invention is effective to separate and stack blanks as they are delivered from a press, and that no manual intervention is required.

What is claimed is:

l. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected box blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality ofdivertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor downstream from the place at which said blanks are separated from each other, each of said divertor stations having a divertor gate, and means for operating all of said divertor gates simultaneously for selectively simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyorinto a plurality of stacks.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, including a stacking plate for supporting said plurality of stacks.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, including sensing means juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for detecting when a blank reaches a predetermined position relative to said stacks, and means responsive to said sensing means for selectively simultaneously operating said divertor stations when said blanks are in position to be diverted to said stacks.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sensing means comprises photoelectric means responsive to the passage of the leading edges of said blanks.

5. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected box blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, said sheet comprising a plurality of blanks interconnected in a lateral direction across said sheet, and said separating conveyor comprising a plurality of individual belt conveyors arranged in divergent horizontal paths, whereby said blanks are separated transversely.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a plurality of sensing means juxtaposed with said belt conveyors for sensing the positions of blanks carried by said conveyors, and means responsive to said sensing means for inhibiting the operation of said divertor stations except when blanks on all of said belt conveyors reach said sensing means approximately simultaneously.

7. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, and including means associated with each of said divertor stations for accumulating a plurality of blanks, and means for periodically adding the accumulated blanks in each accumulator means to a separate stack.

8. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, and including intermittent conveyor means for conveying a stacking sheet to a position overlying all of said stacks, and means for placing the accumulated blanks of each of said accumulator means at a position overlying said 10 stacking sheet and in vertical alignment with a stack.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for conveying a stacking sheet comprises a stack of stacking sheets, means for dispensing said stacking sheets singly from said stacking sheet stack, and conveying means for conveying said stacking sheets from said stacking sheet stack to said blank stacks.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said dispensing means comprises a suction member, means for periodically lowering said suction member toward said stacking sheet stack to pick up a stacking sheet from said stacking sheet stack, and wherein said conveyor means comprises a stacking sheet conveyor belt defining a horizontal surface, means for mounting said stacking sheet conveyor belt for reciprocating movement between a first position overlying said stacking sheet stack and a second position overlying said blank stacks in a plane interposed between said stacking sheet stack and said suction member, and means for intermittently causing said stacking sheet conveyor belt to move toward said second position at said stacking sheet conveyor belt is reciprocated toward said first position.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said divertor stations each comprise a driving roller juxtaposed below the path of said blanks and a driven roller juxtaposed above said path, and means mounting said driven roller for pivoting motion relative to said driving roller, whereby the nip between said driven and driving rollers rotates about said driving roller as said driven roller is pivoted, and a divertor guide for guiding blanks on two diverse paths in accordance with the position of said driven roller relative to said driving roller. 

1. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected box blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor downstream from the place at which said blanks are separated from each other, each of said divertor stations having a divertor gate, and means for operating all of said divertor gates simultaneously for selectively simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks.
 1. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected box blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor downstream from the place at which said blanks are separated from each other, each of said divertor stations having a divertor gate, and means for operating all of said divertor gates simultaneously for selectively simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, including a stacking plate for supporting said plurality of stacks.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, including sensing means juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for detecting when a blank reaches a predetermined position relative to said stacks, and means responsive to said sensing means for selectively simultaneously operating said divertor stations when said blanks are in position to be diverted to said stacks.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sensing means comprises photoelectric means responsive to the passage of the leading edges of said blanks.
 5. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected box blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said Input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively simultaneously diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, said sheet comprising a plurality of blanks interconnected in a lateral direction across said sheet, and said separating conveyor comprising a plurality of individual belt conveyors arranged in divergent horizontal paths, whereby said blanks are separated transversely.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a plurality of sensing means juxtaposed with said belt conveyors for sensing the positions of blanks carried by said conveyors, and means responsive to said sensing means for inhibiting the operation of said divertor stations except when blanks on all of said belt conveyors reach said sensing means approximately simultaneously.
 7. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, and including means associated with each of said divertor stations for accumulating a plurality of blanks, and means for periodically adding the accumulated blanks in each accumulator means to a separate stack.
 8. Separating and stacking apparatus for a plurality of interconnected blanks formed from a single sheet, comprising an input conveyor, a separating conveyor juxtaposed with said input conveyor for accepting sheets therefrom, said separating conveyor operating at a linear speed greater than the speed of said input conveyor whereby blanks are separated from said sheet by said separating conveyor, and a plurality of divertor stations juxtaposed with said separating conveyor for selectively diverting individual blanks from a path aligned with the direction of movement of said separating conveyor into a plurality of stacks, and including intermittent conveyor means for conveying a stacking sheet to a position overlying all of said stacks, and means for placing the accumulated blanks of each of said accumulator means at a position overlying said stacking sheet and in vertical alignment with a stack.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for conveying a stacking sheet comprises a stack of stacking sheets, means for dispensing said stacking sheets singly from said stacking sheet stack, and conveying means for conveying said stacking sheets from said stacking sheet stack to said blank stacks.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said dispensing means comprises a suction member, means for periodically lowering said suction member toward said stacking sheet stack to pick up a stacking sheet from said stacking sheet stack, and wherein said conveyor means comprises a stacking sheet conveyor belt defining a horizontal surface, means for mounting said stacking sheet conveyor belt for reciprocating movement between a first position overlying said stacking sheet stack and a second position overlying said blank stacks in a plane interposed between said stacking sheet stack and said suction member, and means for intermittently causing said stacking sheet conveyor belt to move toward said second position at said stacking sheet conveyor belt is reciprocated toward said first position. 